Why Is Karl Lagerfeld (& The Fashion World) Victim-Blaming Kim Kardashian?

Kim Kardashian being robbed at gunpoint in Paris during fashion week is not a joke. It's not something she "deserved." It's also not her fault.

Before the traumatic experience, Kardashian was making her rounds — and making headlines — at shows across the city, sitting front row at the likes of Givenchy, Balmain, and Balenciaga (makeup-free, no less), dining with Azzedine Alaia, hair-flipping with Naomi Campbell, and hitting the town with her sister, Kourtney. Her appearance at Paris Fashion Week was, at this point, unsurprising; though mixed feelings certainly exist regarding the reality star's position in the limelight, it's hard to deny that, after years on the sidelines, Kardashian has finally been accepted in the industry with open arms. So why is it that people who have put her on their covers and relied on her and her family for traffic — who have not just championed, but assisted in her transition from Paris Hilton sidekick to most famous woman in the world (this is my own claim, but I'm sure her 84 million Instagram followers would agree) — are the very ones who have turned on her?

Before the reveal of Chanel's spring 2017 show, Karl Lagerfeld (someone who, for the record, has applauded Kim's "contribution to beauty and fashion") seemingly victim-blamed Kardashian in conversation with the AP: “[She is] too public, too public — we have to see in what time we live. You cannot display your wealth then be surprised that some people want to share it,” he said. “I don’t understand why [Kardashian] was in a hotel with no security and things like this. If you are that famous and you put all your jewelry on the net, you go to hotels where nobody can come near to the room." It was a surprising reaction, given that Lagerfeld had been photographed just one day earlier with a sign that read: "Dearest Kim, We are all with you. Love, Karl."

Lagerfeld isn't the only one. On Monday, The Hollywood Reporter compiled a list of "overheard at Fashion Week" comments from editors, most of whom questioned whether the situation was even real. “The whole thing sounds made up,” an American journalist said. Someone even went as far as to claim that Kim "was probably drunk after the L’Oreal party and let them in accidentally." Another commented, “The whole scene that follows her around fashion shows is of her own making. If she didn’t have that scene, her business plan would fall apart. Her wealth is predicated on it.” The ironic thing is that her "business plan" also helps these editors sell magazines. Given the fact that Kardashian has covered nearly every international fashion glossy across the globe, these editors are likely people who have booked, photographed, styled, and/or interviewed the 35-year-old star. And the fact that they can shoot her for their latest issue but not support her — and can even make fun of her for being gagged and bound in her hotel bathroom — isn't just uncool; it's unacceptable.

It's no secret the fashion world has suffered from a "mean girl" mentality for some time now; just look at Vogue's recent blogger takedown. But, it's 2016: Shouldn't we be past that by now? Any person — man or woman, famous or not — deserves sympathy following an attack so severe. And when the industry doesn't stand by one of its biggest players (in terms of both publicity and profitability), it isn't just doing itself a disservice — it's taking the inclusive progression it has made 10 steps backward. Style icon or not, Kim Kardashian doesn't deserve to be questioned, to be poked fun at, or worse, to be blamed for someone else's crime. And it's about time the fashion industry stopped doing just that.